Tubular knitted fabric and means for closing the tube



Oct. 24, 1939. R HlNCHLlFF ET AL 2,176,968

TUBULAR KNITTED FABRIC AND MEANS FOR CLOSING THE TUBE Filed May 23, 1958 Patented Oct. 24, 1939 UNETED STATES PATENT GFFICE Ralph Hinchlilf and Ed ford, lll.,

ward C. Hinchliff, Rockassignors to Burson Knitting Company, Rockford, lill., a corporation of Illinois Application May 23, 1938, Serial No. 209,543

4 Claims. (Cl. 66-172) Our invention relates to improvements for tubular knitted fabric preferably the type knitted on a flat bed machine known as the Lamb knitting machine where there are two diametri- 5 cally opposed beds of needles working across one another and where a thread carrier moves back and forth to knit round and round courses, one bed ofneedles knitting on the forward movement of the yarn carrier, the other bed of needles knitting on the return movement. Such a machine knits normally a tubular fabric. As it is knitted, it is collapsed but if the needles and beds are properly positioned, the stitches are substantially uniform throughout.

We propose to close such a tube by periodically controlling the needlesin the two beds so that as the yarn carrier goes back and forth, instead of knitting irst on one side and then on the other, the needles in the two opposed beds will cooperate to knit across between the beds. When this is done instead of having two fabrics for opposed sides of the tube, one knitted by one bed and 'the other knitted by the other, the two fabrics are joined by stitches extending across between them. Now if the needles are again controlled for normal knitting, the two opposed sides of the tube will continue to be knitted separately and We then have the two sides of the fabric joined together intermediate their ends. If a few courses are knitted beyond this joinder extending the tube slightly, experience teaches that especially if Aas is preferably the case, the fabric or tube is knitted of elastic thread under tension the two opposed sides of the tubular fabric beyond the joinder will roll back away from each other against the body of the tube adjacent the joinder, and experience teaches that especially if just at the end, a few courses of non-elastic thread are knitted, the tight curling of these two sides back upon the body will effectively prevent raveling and give what is in effect, though of course, not actually, a selvage edge.

'I'his arrangement gives a very satisfactory 15 closure for a knitted tube for many purposes.

Thus under some circumstances it will be understood that this closure may be effected by sewing rather than knitting the two opposed tube forming panels together.

It will be understood that while we have talked about opposed tube sides, there is in eiect only a series of round and round courses. As they lie on the machine they form opposed tube sides knitted by each bed of needles but when opened out, these sides are in effect continuous though the knitting together of the two opposed sides localizes and immobilizes them.

Other objects of our invention will appear from time to time throughout the specification and claims. E

Our invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view of a fabric tube as knitted according to our invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the tube reversed;

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3 3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of Figure 1, the section being however modified to 15 illustrate the invention;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic elevation;

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side view.

Like parts are indicated by like characters 20 throughout the specification and drawing.

l is a knitted fabric tube made up of a plurality of courses of any suitable inelastic thread. 2 is a terminal tube knitted integrally but preferably knitted from elastic thread stretched un- 2 der tension. 3 is a course of stitches joining the two sides of the tube and extending across between and integral with them. 4, 5 are reinforcing rolls formed by the terminal ends of the tube beyond the joining courses. 6 is a terminal 30 course of non-elastic thread. It is inserted for the purpose of resisting ravelling of the tensioned elastic thread. Since the non-elastic thread is not under such great tension, the different tensions and the different characteristics tend in 35 connection with the rolling effect to prevent raveling. 1, 'l are overcast or reinforcing seams extending longitudinally of the tube and at right angles to the reinforcing rolls. The tube is knitted with the rolls on the outside, is used with 40 the tube reversed and the reinforcing rolls and the overcast reinforcing seams on the inside. 'I'his results in giving the end of the tube a tapered appearance of the tube as knit.

It will be understood that preferably the elastic thread terminal tube will be used though under some circumstances the whole tube may be of elastic thread or under other circumstances no elastic need be used. Also the tube may be used without the longitudinal reinforcing seams or 5o overcast and the two panels may under some circumstances be joined by sewing a separate seam as distinguished from knitting in the preferred form.

We claim:

fragmentary end l. A knitted article comprising two parallel fabric panels, each having an area composed of inelastic-thread stitches and an area composed of elastic-thread stitches, the elastic-threadstitch areas of the two panels being superposed one on another and bounded by a few courses of inelastic-thread stitches, at least one row of elastic-thread stitches being interknit between the two areas entirely across the panels to join them integrally together, the edge of each elastic-stitch area being rolled away from the other area :adjacent the line of interknit stitches to hold the inelastic-thread stitches bounding the area firmly against the body of the fabric.

2. A knitted article comprising two parallel fabric panels, each having an area composed of inelastic-thread stitches and an area composed of elastic-thread stitches, the elastic-threadstitch areas of the two panels being superposed one on another, at least one row of elastic-thread stitches being interknit between the two areas entirely across the panels to join them integrally together, the edge of each elastic-stitch area being rolled away from the other area adjacent the line of interknit stitches against the body of the fabric.

3. A knitted article comprising two parallel panels composed of elastic-thread stitches, at least one row of the stitches being interknit -between the two panels entirely across them, a few courses of inelastic-thread stitches bounding said panels parallel with the cross stitches, the two panels being rolled away from each other adjacent the cross stitches to hold the inelasticthread stitches firmly against the body of the fabric on the opposed sides of the two panels.

4. A knitted article comprising two parallel knitted `panels formed of inelastic thread, said panels having integral extensions along one side of each formed of elastic thread, at least one row of elastic-thread stitches being interknit between the two panels at a point spaced from the inelastic-thread area, the elastic panel being bounded by a few courses of inelastic-thread sttiches, each panel being rolled away from theopposed panel adjacent the row of interknit rstitches to hold the few courses of inelastic stitches against the body of the elastic-thread stitches between the cross stitches and the inelastic-thread panels.

RALPH HINCHLIFF. EDWARD C. HINCHLIFF. 

